Maricarmen Hernández

Maricarmen Hernández is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Urban Studies at Barnard College, Columbia University, with a focus on environmental inequality and urban marginality. She previously held positions at the University of New Mexico and visiting roles at FLACSO-Quito and Universidad Luis Vargas Torres-Esmeraldas. Her research explores the sociopolitical production of environmental injustices, particularly in Latin America and Latinx communities. Her current project examines Afrodescendent communities in Esmeraldas, Ecuador, living near a major refinery, investigating why they remain despite toxic conditions.

Her work employs ethnographic and qualitative methods to study placemaking, risk interpretation, and grassroots activism. Notable research includes analyses of fracking opposition in Texas, urban poverty strategies in Argentina, Ecuador, and Mexico, and environmental justice in Houston. Supported by grants from Fulbright, NSF, and others, her scholarship bridges political sociology, environmental studies, and Latin American regional expertise.

• Research Highlights: Environmental Justice in Toxic Spaces, Urban Marginality, Latin American Studies
• Teaching: Courses include Urban Environmental Justice, Environmental Sociology, and Qualitative Methods
• Awards: Fulbright Fellowship, NSF Grant, ACLS Fellowship

Her publications emphasize temporalities of disasters, subsistence strategies, and community resilience in polluted areas. She critiques systemic barriers that trap marginalized groups in hazardous living conditions, offering critical insights into global urban inequality.